UNLIKE THE U.S., China,Russia, Taiwan, and theEuropean Union ban or

limit the use of ractopamine, adrug that promotes growth inpigs, cattle, and turkeys. Racto - pamine is linked with serioushealth and behavioral problemsin animals, and human studiesare limited but evoke concerns.The U.S.’s current position onractopamine favors agriculturaltrade over health risks toAmericans.

WHAT IS RACTOPAMINE?Ractopamine is a controversial drug used widely as an animalfeed additive in industrial factory farms that raises significantfood safety and animal welfare concerns for U.S. and interna-tional consumers. The U.S. meat industry uses ractopamine toaccelerate weight gain and promote feed efficiency and leannessin pigs, cattle, and turkeys. The drug mimics stress hormonesand increases the rate at which the animals convert feed to muscle.

In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determinedthat ractopamine was safe and approved it for use in feed forpigs, later approving it for cattle and turkeys as well.Veterinarian oversight, however, is not required for producers touse ractopamine; it is available on an “over-the-counter” basis.Ractopamine is associated with major health problems infood-producing animals, such as “downer” syndrome and severecardiovascular stress, and has also been linked to heart problemsand even poisoning in humans. Most of the 196 countries in theworld have banned or restricted ractopamine; only the U.S. and25 other major meat-producing nations allow its use. A recentreport by the research and testing publication ConsumerReports investigating 240 U.S. pork products found that one infive products tested positive for ractopamine residues.i

Ractopamine also negatively affects meat taste and tenderness,providing an inferior quality food product.

As with the vast majority of animal drugs used in the U.S.industrial meat system, FDA’s approval for ractopamine relied

primarily on studies con-ducted by the drug-maker,Elanco. Many of the studiesfocused not on human healthor animal welfare impacts,but on the most economicalrates of administration toraise meat products morequickly. A review of avail-able evidence collected fromFDA and the European FoodSafety Authority calls FDA’sapprovals into question,revealing a number of humanand animal health concerns.

Furthermore, the U.S. has an abysmal track record on testingpork, cattle, and turkey products for ractopamine. In 2010 theU.S. conducted absolutely no testing on 22 billion pounds ofpork, and only took 712 samples from 26 billion pounds ofbeef.ii The U.S. has not yet released the results of its tests.

In December 2012, the Center for Food Safety and the AnimalLegal Defense Fund filed a petition with FDA calling for imme-diate action on the use of ractopamine in U.S. meat production.iii

The petition urges FDA to conduct comprehensive studies onthe long-term effects of human consumption, immediate healthimpact on animals, and a thorough review of international stan-dards. Since the filing of the petition, international disputesover ractopamine have intensified and a trade war may be on thehorizon.

HUMAN HEALTH IMPACTSStudies on the potential human health effects of ractopamine areextremely limited. The only human study on which the new2012 “international standard” from Codex is based on examinedthe effects of ractopamine on six young, healthy men, one ofwhom dropped out after experiencing adverse health effects.Data from the European Food Safety Authority indicates thatractopamine causes elevated heart rates and heart-pounding sen-sations in humans.iv Other examples of health problems includeinformation from the Sichuan Pork Trade Chamber ofCommerce in China, which estimates that between 1998 and

RACTOPAMINE FACTSHEETLean Meat = Mean Meat

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i Press Release, Consumers Union, Consumer Reports Investigation of Pork Products Finds Potentially Harmful Bacteria Most of Which Show Resistance to Important Antibiotics (Nov. 27, 2012),http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2012/11/my-entry-4.htmlii Helena Bottemiller, Dispute Over Drug in Feed Limiting U.S. Meat Exports, Food and Environment Reporting Network (Jan. 25, 2012 and updated Mar. 23, 2012), http://thefern.org/2012/01/dispute-over-drug-in-feed-limiting-u-s-meat-exports/iii See Center for Food Safety and Animal Legal Defense Fund’s “Citizen Petition Seeking Agency Review of Codex Standards on Ractopamine” filed Dec. 20, 2012 with the FDA available at http://www.centerfor-foodsafety.org/2012/12/20/public-interest-groups-challenge-fda-on-use-of-controversial-animal-growth-drug/iv See Safety Evaluation of Ractopamine, Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances Used in Animal Feed, 7 Euro. Food Safety Auth. J., at 18 (April 2009).v See Martha Rosenberg, Why Has the FDA Allowed a Drug Marked ‘Not Safe for Use in Humans’ to be Fed to Livestock Right Before Slaughter?, AlterNet (Feb. 2, 2010),http://www.alternet.org/story/145503/why_has_the_fda_allowed_a_drug_marked_’not_safe_for_use_in_humans’_to_be_fed_to_livestock_right_before_slaughter.vi See FDA response to a Freedom of Information Act request as reported by Helena Bottemiller, Dispute Over Drug in Feed Limiting U.S. Meat Exports, Food and Environment Reporting Network (Jan. 25, 2012 andupdated Mar. 23, 2012), http://thefern.org/2012/01/dispute-over-drug-in-feed-limiting-u-s-meat-exports/vii See http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/Program_for_Certifying_Pork/index.aspviii Theopolis Waters, China Seeks Extra Testing of U.S. Pork Feed Additive, Reuters (Feb. 19, 2012), http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/19/china-pork-additive-idUSL1N0BJ8N520130219 ix Russia Consumer Safety Ban Watchdog Sees Long U.S. Meat Ban, Reuters (Feb. 11, 2013), http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/russia-meat-idUSL5N0BB1O220130211 x Helena Bottemiller, Dispute Over Drug in Feed Limiting U.S. Meat Exports, Food and Environment Reporting Network (Jan. 25, 2012 and updated Mar. 23, 2012), http://thefern.org/2012/01/dispute-over-drug-in-feed-limiting-u-s-meat-exports/

2010, 1,700 people were poisoned from eating pork containingractopamine.v

ANIMAL HEALTH IMPACTSRactopamine has significant known health impacts on animals.Fed to an estimated 60 to 80 percent of pigs in the U.S. meatindustry, ractopamine use has resulted in more reports of sick-ened or dead pigs than any other livestock drug on the market.According to FDA’s own calculations, more pigs have beenadversely affected by ractopamine than by any other animaldrug—more than 160,000.vi Ractopamine’s effects include tox-icity and other exposure risks, such as behavioral changes andcardiovascular, musculoskeletal, reproductive, and endocrineproblems. It is also associated with high stress levels in animals,“downer” or lame animals, hyperactivity, broken limbs, anddeath.

INTERNATIONAL BAN OFRACTOPAMINEBased on a lack of available evidence of ractopamine’s safety,most countries have taken a cautionary approach to the presenceof ractopamine in their national food systems. These othernations’ standards are even more protective of human health andanimal welfare than Codex. The twenty-seven European Unionmember states, for example, have banned ractopamine. Taiwanseverely restricts it. There has been significant internationalbacklash against Codex’s 2012 ractopamine standards, which areonly marginally better than the U.S.’s current standards. Thereaction shows that Codex is merely one standard; it is far frombeing a uniform or “gold” standard for food safety, humanhealth, or animal welfare. Russia has announced a ban ofimported beef, pork and turkey that is not certified rac-topamine-free, and China has announced it will stop importingU.S. pork effective March 1, 2013 unless it is certified rac-topamine-free by a third party. The U.S. already has a certifiedractopamine-free program in place to sell pork products to theE.U.vii Currently, it is estimated that 160 countries of the 196 inthe world ban or restrict ractopamine.

IMPACT ON MARKETSThe international debate over ractopamine bans, restrictions and“maximum level residue” standards is heating up. The EuropeanUnion, China and Russia favor a ban. The U.S. and Canada favor

using ractopamine within certain maximum residue limits.Annually, China’s ban on ractopamine will affect approximately$886 million in U.S. pork productsviii and Russia’s ban willaffect approximately $500 million.ix The U.S. argues that inter-national bans on ractopamine are not based on scientific reasons,but are based on protectionist approaches to enable China, theE.U., and other countries to obtain greater market share. Whatthe U.S. fails to acknowledge is that other countries are takingthe lack of human health and animal welfare studies very seri-ously; ractopamine has not been conclusively determined as safefor humans and animals.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONSBAN RACTOPAMINE: The most efficient solution is tosimply ban the use of ractopamine in the U.S. and lessen theneed and expense of administering a verification system. Withso many countries already setting this precedent, making thewell-being of their citizens and farm animals a priority, the U.S.has plenty of reason and prerogative to follow suit.

INDUSTRY BAN: Smithfield, one of the largest U.S.pork producers, has at least one production plant that is 100%ractopamine-free and expects to have its largest plant 100%ractopamine-free by March 1, 2013. These two plants likelyservice Smithfield’s E.U. and Chinese customers. However,Smith field says that it will continue to produce pork with racto -pamine for other customers. This means Americans. It is highlyunlikely that relying on voluntary industry bans will resolve thewider problem of ractopamine abuse. The U.S. cannot afford torelegate such high risk drugs to voluntary action.

GROCER, PRODUCER, AND RESTAURANT BAN:Some U.S. food companies already avoid meat produced withthe feed additive, including Chipotle restaurants, producerNiman Ranch, and Whole Foods Markets.x

WHAT YOU CAN DO: GET INVOLVED!SIGN THE PETITION at www.centerforfoodsafety.org tothe top 10 U.S. pork producers urging them to stop usingractopamine!

BUY ORGANIC PORK PRODUCTS! Certified organicproducers are not allowed to use feed additives like ractopamine.

RACTOPAMINE FACTSHEET: Lean Meat = Mean Meat